Tuesday, January 24, 2012

coloured pencil info

I have some cp sites loaded with great info to share with you. First up let's talk lightfastness. We all want to create with pencils that will ensure our art's longevity but finding information on all of the pencil brands can be rather overwhelming. Help is on the way! The Coloured Pencil Society of Canada has a new article on their website this month, written by Manon Leclerc. The topic is lightfastness and all aspects of this issue are covered. The best part is that Manon has done extensive research into the pencil brands and has provided all the information we need to check out our favourite pencils. This info is in the middle of the article so make sure you scroll down far enough. I suggest bookmarking this one!

Another site you will enjoy viewing is the home of Colored Pencil Magazine. Issues of this magazine are available in print or as a download. You can also have a have a free preview of the January issue (since writing this earlier today, the February issue is now also available). It is worth checking out the January issue just to see the gorgeous cover art created by Ester Roi. Ester is featured in this issue and if you haven't heard about Ester's work or her wonderful invention, the Icarus Board then you can read the article as well as visit her website. If you don't know, the Icarus Board allows cp artists to work over heat - the wax binder in wax based pencils softens allowing the work to be burnished without solvents and without using heavy pressure. Ester has a terrific website chock full of beautiful artwork in her galleries, she has lots of info on technique and you can link to her blog. If that weren't enough, Ester has youtube videos!!!! Do check out all that Ester has for us to view. You will come away enchanted and inspired!

Okay, back to the Colored Pencil Magazine, well if you are familiar with Alyona Nickelsen's work (she is the author of the Colored Pencil Painting Bible) then you will be pleased to see that Alyona has signed on to answer readers questions every month. Alyona is another woman with a very comprehensive website and it too is worth a look. She offers on-line classes, has a newsletter, etc.

I hope you enjoy checking out these resources. I truly love looking at what other cp artists are getting up to and all of this is simply a click away. Happy surfing folks!

4 comments:

Teresa, thank you for sharing both of the links and all of the related info. I am always mindful of lightfastness in the pencils I use. I want to make sure that my buyers have good quality artwork for years to come. I have done my own lightfastness tests of all my colors on good quality drawing paper which I hung in a window of my studio for 10 years. Yes, seriously! It is amazing how many of the colors fade. I do try to choose lighfast pencils in different brands, spray my finished with with UV fixatives and varnish with UV varnishes and I hope they will help.

Hi Kendra, great to read your comment. I wish more cp artists would educate themselves regarding the lightfast issue. Too many professional artists are still choosing to use their old favourites when it comes to pencils, even when they have been proven to fade.

Several years ago I had some business cards on a shelf near a window. I was shocked to notice how much the colour faded from the top card in just a few months. This prompted me to do some test strips of my own with my pencils, which I too hung in a window. And yes it is amazing how many colours fade.

I have been on the hunt for lightfast pencils, that I like :-), ever since. It can be quite an investment financially and it is very inconvenient when your local art supply store doesn't carry the pencils or perhaps not in open stock yet in my opinion it must be done. Artists who want to be viewed as professional (and who want to charge 'professional' prices for their work need to address this issue. I want to be able to inform the collectors of my work that it has been created to last!

Teresa Mallen CPSA

Welcome to my blog. I am a coloured pencil artist and instructor in Ottawa, Canada. My art is primarily a celebration of nature (although I do create abstracts occasionally). You can expect to see my works in progress here, to read about my life as an artist as well as snippets that reflect my love for the land, nature and the growing of food. Every now and again I post pictures of my wonderful goats and chickens. If you are passionate about art please join in the fun and please feel welcome to leave comments. I look forward to meeting you! I sincerely hope you enjoy your visit.

Follow by Email

Facebook Badge

NEWSLETTER

If you are interested in knowing what is new in the studio - from newly scheduled workshops or classes to upcoming exhibitions to just released reproductions, please sign up here. You info will not be shared, you will not receive any spam and you may unsubscribe at any time. I look forward to hearing from you and welcome to the Newsletter Group!